A UK Nightclub Actually Banned Fur

We've heard of individuals taking strong stances on fur, from celebrities to fashion designers. But a place? That's pretty unusual.

But after realizing its potential to make a difference, an exclusive London nightclub frequented by celebrities and royals has decided to ban the animal-derived material from its enclaves. Mahiki, a tiki-themed club on Dover Street, has partnered with PETA to enforce the ban, a rep for the business confirmed to us Friday. It went into effect Thursday night.

The animal rights organization has created a sign for Mahiki to make visible to those hoping to gain entry, and has trained door staff on how to distinguish faux fur from real fur.

It's not all that crazy: clubs like these have the right to decide who gets in and who doesn't, and dress codes are not uncommon at them. Though nothing like this has really happened before, at least not that we've been made aware of. The only similar headline-making story was from last September when the city of West Hollywood, which is home to a lot of retail, banned the sale of fur clothing within its geographical limits.

Chances are this one initiative by one business probably won't put much of a dent in fur sales this year, but perhaps there are more socially conscious club owners in the world than we realized, and this ban could become more widespread. And if that happens in London specifically, it could have an impact on the city's economy, of which the fur trade is an important factor. And designers, who consistently put fur on their runways, probably won't be happy, either.

Though it's certainly not illegal to sell, buy, or wear fur; it may be illegal, not to mention misleading and potentially imoral, for a company to publicly present itself as fur-free and then continue to sell products containing fur. This, PETA alleges, is what Bebe is doing.

Earlier this year, speculation mounted in the British press that Anna Wintour--who'd become a top-tier fundraiser for Barack Obama--was angling for a UK ambassador job.
The Vogue EIC has always denied having any personal political ambitions, but a new report in Bloomberg suggests that, now that Obama has been re-elected, she may have an actual job offer to turn down.

Supporters call it "natural" and "sustainable." Opposers say it's cruel and inhumane. But whichever side you fall on, there's no denying that fur had a major presence on the fall 2013 runways this past month, being hailed as one of the biggest trends for next season.
We scoured through every single photo of every single collection that walked this season and found that a startling 70% of the designers who showed during fashion month used fur in at least one look. Does this mean society is ready to embrace fur? Or is the fashion industry just trying to force it on us. We investigate.